Many times we are asked why we dedicate all our extra time and money to rescue…
Here are just a FEW STORIES that have touched our hearts and give us the reasons to continue!
We wish to thank everyone who has donated funds for the medical bills to help give the surgeries needed to give our rescued pets the Happy Ending they deserve. Without you we would not continue adding to our Happy Endings!
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Oscar and Felix – 2024
Beamsville 4Paw Rescue responded to a desperate call from a woman in the Niagara Region: about 30 cats and kittens were seen in an abandoned barn, and Oscar and Felix were among them. It’s believed that Oscar was the father of the particular kitten we named Felix. Oscar was frequently seen carrying Felix in his mouth like a mommy cat, bringing him to the food bowl and water dish. Oscar and Felix had an unbreakable bond, as when Oscar was trapped, the baby was with him.
Upon immediate inspection, Oscar and Felix had wounds, upper respiratory and eye infections, and Oscar was very matted. When we removed the mats from Oscar, we were shocked to see he had an enormous hernia that was the size of a softball. Oscar and Felix were immediately seen by a veterinarian and had to be separated because they were both very sick and Oscar needed immediate surgery. Oscar had a very large and painful hernia, and his complete stomach lining was ripped open. Vets sad it was probably from birth and was never attended to. The vet was amazed that Oscar had survived this long without surgery. On June 3rd, 2024, Oscar had surgery that took almost 3 hours to repair. On June 17th, 2024 Oscar was brought back to the vets to get his stitches removed, received an ultrasound and was given a clean bill of health.
Felix was on medication for 3 weeks to help him get over his upper respiratory and eye infections and was receiving loving care from one of our fosters.
Happy Ending! Oscar and Felix have been reunited, and that bond was never broken as Felix ran over to Oscar, and Oscar immediately started to Purr songs of love and kiss Felix. Thanks to Dean and Valerie for keeping the bond and giving them their “Forever Loving Home”
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Gussy – 2023
Gussy was rescued from a dumpster, dehydrated, starving and wounds. Gus’s tail needed to be amputated as it was torn off and bleeding . Thanks to the donations, Gus received surgery and is now in his “Forever Home”.
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Tricksie – 2017
Tricksie was just a 5 month old kitten, and only weighed 4lbs, when she was rescued on March 13th, 2017. Tricksie was wearing a non breakable collar which bounded her front leg and neck, forcing her to hop around on 3 legs and trying to survive.
Tricksie’s tail was split down the middle and was badly infected, it had to be amputated immediately. Tricksie’s owner passed away with a heart attack in his home, and was not found until 3 weeks later. Beamsville 4Paw Rescue was notified about the situation and action was taken that was able to save a total of 7 cats that were left in the home!
Trinity – 2015
Trinity was rescued from a farm at 2 weeks old. The farmer was stopped in the process of drowning the 7 kittens, Only Trinity survived. Rushed to the vet, the veterinarian caring for Trinity said it would be a miracle if she lived. Trinity spent 10 days in the vets and survived. However, the ear infection left her with a slight tilt but was overlooked by potential adopters. Thanks to our foster Alex she gave Trinity a “Forever Home”
Sobey – 2015
Beamsville Sobey’s grocery store manager Niki discovered an injured three week old kitten going through their garbage, desperately looking for food. While attempting to feed herself in an empty tin can, “Sobey” ended up cutting her entire neck and getting her head stuck in the tin.
Upon capturing little Sobey, not only did she have an open wound around her neck, but also maggots in her stomach wounds and back legs. Immediate veterinary care was needed, involving surgery and medication for the infections. At 12 weeks old, Sobey found her loving “Forever Home”
Scrappy – 2012
When you hear cats screaming at night, most people would think that its wild cats fighting. We as a rescue feel that there is no such thing as a wild (Feral) animal, just those that have never had the opportunity to have love, care and hope for a future. You can tell just by looking at him that “Scrappy” has had a tough life. He has been fending for himself outside for 3 years since his family carelessly moved away and abandoned him and tossing him outside. Many people in his neighborhood were afraid of him because he used to yowl and cry so much. Little did they know, he wasn’t doing it because he was feral or just wanted to be annoying, he was crying for help. Scrappy had so many injuries including a crushed paw that healed and gave him a limp. Scrappy also suffered many infections and open cysts on his body, a damaged eye and many other health issues that required care. Kind people in his Beamsville neighborhood fed him but poor Scrappy didn’t trust anyone enough to let them help him yet nor would he go into a trap. Other cats beat him up and maybe even a wild animal. Scrappy finally had enough of fending for himself and we were able to catch him and get him some much-needed medical attention. At last, 6 months later, his injuries have healed and he received some much-deserved rest, food, and love! Now that he is no longer in distress or has the terrible job of fending for himself, Scrappy is concentrating on being the biggest Love Bug you could ever meet in his new “Forever Home” thanks to Helen. Scrappy passed away peacefully in June 2023 with hugs and kisses from owners and his best 4-legged friend Stanley, he had 11 years of love and the loving life he deserved. Stanley and Scrappy grew such a bond that Stanley passed away from a broken heart only 4 weeks later. Stanley was also rescued from Beamsville 4Paw Rescue.
Crissy – 2012
A Mother loves right from the start. She holds her baby close to her heart, feeds them, nourishes them and protect them with her life. Sounds familiar! Are animals that different from humans? Here is a story of one Cat who found 4-3 weeks old abandoned kittens in the Dumpster at Tim Hortons and a few good people and took them in as her own.
Beamsville 4Paw Rescue received a call from a customer at Tim Hortons asking us if we could help rescue kittens and a cat. He was a regular at Tim Hortons and has been trying to catch a stray black cat that was tossed from a car a few weeks ago, and now is hearing kittens meows in the dumpster. When we arrived we assumed that the black cat had her babies and tucked them someplace safe from predator’s. However, another customer came out and advised us that he saw someone else throw a bag into the dumpster and the black cat carrying it in her mouth to the back dumpster. Both Regular customers have been putting out food and water, hoping to help them survive. The black cat would run up to the food we put out and then would run to the baby kittens to feed them. After 3 hours of planning, we finally were able to trap the black cat and get the 4 baby kittens huddled in the back of the dumpster, they were only 3 weeks old.
We named the black cat, Crissy and it goes to show that her amazing love for these kittens kept them alive and would not go into the trap until the kittens were rescued. Crissy was adopted with the runt of the litter and as of 2020 still has that motherly unbreakable bond.
Heidi – 2012
Beamsville 4Paw Rescue received a call to surrender Heidi, the owner said “My heart is growing weaker every day and giving up my beloved Heidi may just be the end of me!”. The owner had health issues and his heart was getting worse every day and soon will go into heart failure. He spent every minute of Heidi’s life as best friends and he wanted to make sure she would be in a loving home that would continue to bring her on walks and treat her like part of the family.
The day Heidi was adopted, the original owners came to place her in her new home. It was filled with tears of sadness, joy and most of all love. One man’s dream of finding the perfect family came true! Thanks to Nancy and Bill and her new sibling Teea (Dog), Heidi went into a wonderful loving “Forever Home”. Nancy shares stories of Heidi and also allowed the first owner to come and sit with Heidi until the owner said his last good-bye to Heidi. Heidi did attend the owners funeral and said her last good-byes.
Dolly “Our Treasure in a Box” – 2012
Beamsville 4PawRescue was shocked, a box was left on a doorstep of a house, a person rang the door bell and ran away. When the owner went to the door she seen a cardboard box, taped up with packing tape, and heard cat cries coming from the box. She quickly brought the box inside, when we opened the box, it was filled with blood and the cat was wounded and pregnant. The owner contacted Beamsville 4Paw Rescue and we picked up the cat and we rushed the cat to the vet as the babies had all shifted to the side and the mother couldn’t hardly breathe or stand. There was a 4-inch cut on her side that was about ½ inch deep. Someone took a knife and cut her side open to kill her and her babies and left her to die in a box. The mother, who we now call Dolly, was in critical condition.
Looking in Dolly’s eyes we only had one choice, “Safe her life and her babies”. Pam Huson, one of our volunteers, took her into her foster home to care for her. To save Dolly it meant waking up every 2 hours, holding her in my arms to feed her and keep her wounds clean and free of infection. Pam would say that Dolly would grip her arm and lick her hand to say thank-you. Pam called her Dolly in a “Treasure Box”.
On April 2nd 2012 – 7:30 pm, Dolly gave birth to 8 healthy beautiful babies (Itzy, Bitzy, Dexter, Sophia, Forest, Hadley, Ellie and Lilly). Since Dolly was badly wounded when she gave birth she needed assistance. Pam held her wound closed so the stitches would not break open, and Dolly would wrap her paws around Pam’s arm and look into her eyes for love and support during the delivery. Pam said it was the hardest 6 hour delivery for both of them. All Dolly and her babies were healthy and found wonderful loving homes, however Pam did keep the runt and trouble maker of the bunch Hadley. Dolly was adopted with one of her babies that had an unbreakable bond.
Maggie – 2012
Maggie was brought into the Humane Society by the original owners as she had to surrender 4-month old little Maggie. The owner was going in for an unexpected operation that would remove her legs and change her life and Maggie’s forever. The Humane Society couldn’t not accept Maggie and the lady was devastated as her surgery was in the morning. One of our volunteers was behind her in line and heard the owner desperation in her voice and offered to bring Maggie into our rescue. The owner started to cry and kissed Maggie’s head for one last time, took a deep breath and said “Please find a really good home for my baby”
It was meant to be, 2 weeks later Maggie found a wonderful “Forever Home”. After telling the adopters Maggie’s story, we reached out to the past owner to see if she would like a visit. The adopters visited the owner in the hospital with Maggie and flowers, and tears of happiness was shared.
Billy (Chilly) – 2012
February 2012 a concerned neighbour was hearing cat cries from an abandoned apartment in their building. The owners of the apartment moved out 2 months ago and have not returned. When one of our volunteers arrived with the landlord, there was a poor cat huddled under a cardboard box meowing. The litter box was overflowing, two large bags of food opened and laying on the dirty floor, and barley enough toilet water left for him to drink. The cat we named Billy, was scared at first, but with treats and fresh food and water we quickly gained his trust. It did not take long to adopt sweet Billy but he did come with emotional scars of abandonment. Billy was fearful of any doors closed. (closet, bedroom and even cupboard doors), Billy would wake in the middle of the night and start crying out if he did not see you. It took months and a special person like Leslie (the adopter)to go many nights without sleeping, holding him and keeping doors open but she would not give up on Billy. As of 2016, Billy was renamed Chilly as he finally settled in his “Forever Home”, however he still does not like bathroom doors closed.
Janie- 2011
A Volunteer at a local Humane Society contact Beamsville 4Paw Rescue in a desperate plea to save Janie’s life. Janie was NOT in a “non-kill” shelter so it’s literally been a matter of life or death for Janine. Janie showed signs of aggression and the shelter would not adopt her out to the public and depended on rescues to try to rehabilitate her. Janie’s last day of life would be November 11th, 2011 which was only 3 weeks away.
Janie was caught wondering around a dump looking for food and has since been in the shelter for 3 months. Janine had an ear and eye infection, her body and back legs were so matted that the skin started to pull away from her body. Janie needed care, but would not allow anyone to get near her. We decided to to bring Janie into our rescue and give her a chance of life. In desperation we brought Janine to our groomer to get groomed and to the vet for the medical attentions she needed. During grooming we noticed that her feet were badly cut and rocks, twigs and mud were between her toes like cement, cutting her paws with each step she took. After grooming, Janine became a new dog and her signs of aggression were actually just signs of pain and suffering. Janine was on heavy medication to help with her ear, eyes and wounds.
Janie was in our care for 6 weeks, which gave her time to heal, get the love and attention she deserved. Janie was adopted after 7 weeks. We followed up with Janie in her new home one month later, and Janie was laying on the couch with her new owner watching TV. Frank who adopted Janine remarked that it was meant to be as they both saved each other lives.
Scrappy- 2006
This is where it all began! Many times we are asked how Beamsville 4Paw Rescue started and how it began. My name is Pam, and I moved to Beamsville in Fall of 1997 with my two senior cats, Gizzy and Jessie. A small hobby barn was located behind me with chicken, ducks and wild pigeons that sat on the barns’ roof. In April 2005, the property was sold to the city, the people left leaving their animals behind. Little did I know that this would change my life forever. My friends and I contacted many humane societies and rescues, unfortunately farm animals are not worth the rescuing according to them. We then decided to contact hobby farms ourselves and finally found homes for the chickens and ducks. The pigeons, let’s just say I am feeding their grand-children still to this day. A few weeks later, I was outside sitting on my deck and I heard cat cries coming from the abandoned barn. I quietly went over and to my surprise there was at least 7 cats and a mommy cat who just gave birth to 5 kittens. As soon as they saw me they ran away. Now, do you walk away and assume it is someone’s cat or do you make the choice to help. I chose to help and started calling rescues and all resources but unfortunately everyone was full and nobody offered to help. It was up to me and my friends, to help these cats. I now was known as the “Crazy Cat Lady” feeding the stray cats on my street.
It took weeks, but we did catch the abandoned cats/kittens bring them to vets to get care and ready for their “Forever Home”. All but one, I could not catch. I called him Scrappy, he was a pure white cat that had many wounds on his face, scars on his back, his ears looked frost bit and most of all would yowl all night. Scrappy would not go into any traps, nor would he come near me. It soon became winter and my heart broke seeing him sitting on my deck huddled, eating the food I put out and lay next to the outdoor heater. A few weeks later, Scrappy, showed up limping, full of blood on his back and eyes were crusted over with infections, I was determined to catch him, but the question was “HOW”. I ended up cutting a hole in my garage door, started putting food and heating blankets and disguised a live trap. I had a baby monitor that I kept near my bedside night after night hoping he would go into the trap. Months went by, Scrappy would limp into the garage, eat the food, sleep on the heated bed, sniff the trap and limp away, it was heart breaking.
Finally, Dec 15th 2006 at 2:ooam, Scrappy came in the garage limping he had a wound on his back that was open and bloody, his eyes full of infection. I sat near the baby monitor willing him to go in, my heart was breaking. Then Scrappy looked right at the camera as to say “Rescue Me, I can’t go on”, and finally went into the trap. I ran into the garage, tossed a blanket on the trap and ran him into my safe room that I had prepared for him.
I opened the trap and Scrappy hobbled into the covered bed I prepared for him. I had baby monitors in the room so I can keep an eye on him until I could bring him to the vet in the morning, Scrappy did not move all night. The next morning I brought Scrappy to the vet where he stayed for 10 days. so he could start antibiotics and get the care he needed to be strong enough for surgery. The vet needed to stitch up the wounds he had on his legs, back and neck and if strong enough neutered and get vaccinated.
Finally, on the 11th days, Scrappy was able to come home. My friend decided to keep Scrappy and every day, he started to trust us more and more. Within four months he finally started enjoying the comforts of sleeping next to his adopter and giving head-butts for kisses or belly rubs.
In 2022, Scrappy passed away peacefully in my arms while I kissed him good-bye and thank him for 15 years of allowing me to give him a home and love he deserved.
I hope when you hear a cat yowling, or see a cat in distress, a dirty stray, or an opportunity comes when an animal needs your help, that you remember Scrappy and his story. Scrappy was not screaming just because he was fighting, but it was screams of hurt, hunger and asking for help. Also, if you know of a “Crazy Cat lady” feeding the stray, instead of mocking her, maybe go ask how you can help, after all that is how Beamsville 4Paw Rescue started up and we now save around 400 animals a year. Ask yourself, how can you help!
We’re making news! Check out the links below.
Winner – Shreddies Search for Goodness – 2015
Merrit Colony – 2017
Kitten thrown from a car “Holly” 2019
“Nugget” – Born with half a spine- 2020
Dunnville Abandoned Cats – 2020
